His eyes reached Mattie first. She smiled back. “Hello.”
“Am I interrupting?” he asked her.
“Not at all. We’re just chillin’.”
He couldn’t hide a grin. Mattie was as feisty as ever. She must be feeling better. She knew the truth and was okay with it. That said something wonderful about her character.
“Chillin’ is a good thing.”
His gaze slid to Kat. Her eyes softened on him. Her lips parted and she did that innocent little gesture with her hand in her hair that rocketed through his nerve endings. His breathing quickened and something powerful clicked inside his head, pounding sense into it.
His heart squeezed tight.
He’d been wrong about Kat. He’d come to that conclusion after his sorely bruised ego had healed up. He’d seen her side of things for the first time. She did have a rough life, and despite her hardships, she’d always done what she believed best for their son. He had to give her credit where it was due.
What he’d just witnessed now told him in a thousand different ways that she was a good woman. He didn’t care about her past. She was strong, a survivor. Just the kind of girl a tough-minded former marine should pair up with.
“Come join us, Justin,” Mattie was saying.
Kat rose quickly from the hospital bed. “Actually,” she said to her, “I’ve got to get back to the house. Audrey was nice enough to babysit Connor. I told her I wouldn’t be gone too long.”
Slipping her purse over her shoulder, she leaned down and kissed Mattie’s cheek. “You and Justin should talk. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
She spared him a glance as she strode toward the door.
“Kat? We need to talk, too,” he said.
She stopped and focused her gaze on the floor, refusing to look at him. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am about all of this.” Then without another word, she brushed by him and slipped out the door.
Justin turned his head and peered down the hallway, but Kat was already out of sight. Sighing, he swiveled back to Mattie. Grabbing the only chair in the room, he swung it around to her bedside and straddled it backward so he was facing her.
“You know about Connor now?”
“Kat explained everything to me.” She gestured toward the newspaper. “I imagine this isn’t easy for you, either.”
“I couldn’t care less about myself. It’s you I’m worried about. You know, Kat and I didn’t want to see you hurt.”
“Yes, I know. Kat made sure I understood. I don’t blame either of you for keeping the truth from me. You were both trying to protect me.”
“Kat more than me,” he said. He had to be honest. “I wanted to claim Connor as my son, but Kat insisted and I finally agreed it would be best to hold back the truth until you were fully recovered.”
“It doesn’t matter, Justin. I already love that boy like my own. I always will. Kat assured me that I’d always be a part of her family. That’s all I want.”
“You got it. You’re Connor’s great-aunt, as far as I’m concerned.”
“Thank you. It means everything to me. My Ralph always would say, the truth shall set you free.”
Justin took a big swallow. It was time to shed light on one more truth. It was time to unburden himself of the heavy weight he carried. He faced his fears and forced the words out. “There’s one more truth, Aunt Mattie. It’s about Brett and how he died that day. I’m afraid it’s my fault.”
“Oh, dear boy. I doubt that very much.”
Justin set out to change her mind. He spoke to her now, leaving nothing out about the events leading up to Brett’s death. He held Mattie’s hand and confessed, pouring out his guilt, baring his soul and crying tears of enormous grief. “H-he was a good man and a fine soldier. Maybe too good a soldier. He was so damn eager to get back to active duty. He loved being a marine,” he finally concluded.
“He did love it.” Tears filled Mattie’s eyes. She tried not to show it, but she was in a lot of pain.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. This is too much for you all at once,” he said.
“I’m going to be just fine, Justin. Lordy, you’ve held this grief inside for so long, boy.”
She rose from her bed and came around his chair. He wanted to tell her to stay in bed, to take care with her fragile body, but she set her jaw firm and filled her eyes with determination. She cradled his head and gently ran a hand down his cheek. Her fingers were touches of peace to his tortured spirit. “Please don’t feel responsible. Brett was a stubborn one. He wanted what he wanted, when he wanted it. He told you he was ready. He made that decision. He did. Not you,” she whispered. “Not you, Justin.”
“But when we got to the schoolhouse, I ordered him to go back. That’s when he got shot.”
“You saw that he was sick. You sent him to safety.” She lowered her weary body down on the edge of her bed. The warmth in her eyes spoke of forgiveness. “You were being a friend and a good commander. Brett would always say the unit was only as strong as the weakest link. I miss that boy something fierce, Justin, but I won’t see you torture yourself with regrets. If Brett wasn’t up to the task, it was your duty to send him back. You didn’t know what would happen to him.”
“I, uh, don’t know what to say. I’ve dreaded having to tell you about Brett for a long time. I thought you’d hate me.”
A kind smile parted her lips. “Now, how could I hate Connor’s real daddy?”
He lowered his head and stared down at her bed slippers. “You’re a good woman, Matilda Applegate.”
“Too bad I’m too old for you.”
His chuckle rose up from his mending heart.
“But if you’re looking for a really fine woman, I’ve got me a roommate I think you’d like.”
He searched her knowing eyes. “I like her just fine.”
“You love her. Don’t know if you realize it or not.”
Oxygen whooshed into his lungs and he blinked.
“She’s kicking herself in the behind about the mess she’s made. I think a fine upstanding man like yourself could undo that mess with three magical words.”
He gave a shake of his head. “I don’t know.”
She frowned. “Those aren’t the three words.” She took his hand in hers. The pressure she applied was forceful, much stronger than he gave her credit for. Then she looked him dead in the eyes. “If you have any doubts about Kat’s intentions or her character, ask her about Lowery’s.”
His brow furrowed in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Ah, it’s not for me to say.” She gave him a final squeeze of the hand and a quick nod of the head. “You go see her first thing tomorrow morning and ask her. You won’t be sorry.”
Tomorrow morning worked for him. He had some unsettled business that he needed to tend to tonight before he spoke with her. “Okay, I’ll do that.”
“Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I need my beauty sleep.”
She climbed into bed and he helped her get settled in the sheets. Then he gave her a little kiss on the cheek. “You couldn’t get any more beautiful, Aunt Mattie.”
“Hush now. Talk like that will surely get my heart pumping too hard.”
He smiled. How could he ever repay her generosity? Not only had she helped him rid himself of his guilt about Brett’s death, but she’d given Kat and his baby son a roof over their heads and unconditional love when they’d needed it the most.
Matilda Applegate was turning out to be his savior, his conscience and his couples counselor all rolled up into one.
* * *
Justin left the construction site at the Gateway Equine Retreat and headed east on foot. A walk would do him good. He had things to say to Kat. And he wanted a clear head to say them. Pulling the brim of his hat down, he shade
d his eyes from the morning sunshine peeking out through scattered gray clouds.
He glanced at his watch. Seven-thirty. Was it too early to show up unannounced at Mattie’s house? Suddenly, he was a teenager again, full of nerves and anxious as all get-out to see his high school crush.
The Applegate house came into view from fifty yards away. Movement on the porch caught his eye. He stopped abruptly and shoved his hat off his forehead to get a better look. Straining his eyes, he narrowed in on a brown-haired woman entering the house with his son. Who was she? He didn’t recognize her. Was she someone else from Kat’s past that he didn’t know about?
“Damn it.” His gut told him something was wrong.
It was too early for a social call from one of the neighbors.
His boots ate grass and gravel getting to the house. Heart hammering, he pushed his way through the unlocked front door. He’d have to caution Kat about keeping the door locked later. “Kat? Connor?”
“We’re in here,” Kat called out, her voice sounding as sultry as the day they’d first met.
Relief swooped down to replace his fear. He crossed the parlor and strode down the hallway. Once he reached Kat’s bedroom, he blinked and refocused his eyes.
The woman who’d just finished diapering Connor turned to face him and his mouth fell open. It wasn’t the rosy-lipped, wavy-haired, platinum-blonde seductress, Katherine Grady, staring back at him. It was a clean-faced, green-eyed natural beauty with straight ordinary brown hair.
As the seconds ticked by, his heart bludgeoned his chest. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Kat?”
Her lips trembled and turned down. “This is the real me.”
A slow nod moved his head up and down. “O-kay.”
“I’m a fraud, Justin.”
Man, oh, man. She looked so different. Equally beautiful, but different. “No, you’re not.”
Her gaze landed on Connor in the crib. She handed him his bottle.
Justin walked over to stroke his head and watch him take the first few gulps. His little mouth sucked hard, drawing the formula out. There was nothing more precious in the world than his son. Justin stole a glance at Kat—they were his family.
Kat took a step back, away from the crib. “Yes, I’m the worst kind of fraud. Anyone who knows anything about Michael Golden knows he likes platinum blondes. He had this thing for Marilyn, you know. My blind date had been set up a month in advance. I invented my look. I designed clothes for myself that would give off a certain impression. I transformed myself into someone else just to gain the attention of a certain rich man.”
Justin didn’t care about any of that. It was never clearer than right now. “So what?”
“So what? Aren’t you afraid that I’m only here for your money? Aren’t you—?”
“No.”
“You’re not?” Her eyes opened wide.
“No, I’m not.”
“Why not?”
A smile spread across his face. “Because I know you.”
“You don’t know the real me.”
“I know you’re a scrapper. I know you truly care about that old woman. I know you’ve worried about her, taken care of her, protected her even when it was probably in your best interest to tell the world Connor was a Slade. I know you’d do anything for our son. I admire that about you, Kat.”
She gulped. “You admire me?”
“Yes, I do.” He took her hand and tugged. She landed up against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and then moved them lower. As he flattened his hands against her buttocks, a tiny gasp escaped her throat. “I like you as a brunette, sugar. You’re still gorgeous.”
“I’m not flashy anymore.”
“Flashy is so twenty minutes ago.”
Her eyes beamed and a chuckle burst from her lips.
He brought his mouth to her hair and kissed her there. “Mattie knows the truth about everything now.”
She pulled away from him. “You spoke to her about Brett?”
“I did. Yesterday. It was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. But I made my peace with it all. Thanks to you.”
“Me?”
He spoke from deep in his heart. “You helped me through a tough time, Kat. You were just what I needed. Your encouragement guided me in the right direction. You didn’t condemn me, not even when I had the worst suspicions about you.”
“I’m glad I was able to help,” she whispered. “Very glad.”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I have a confession to make.”
“What’s that?”
“After what you told me about Michael Golden, I suspected him of having leaked the story to that reporter at Insider Buzz. There was something about that guy that didn’t ring true. He flew in from New York to get a story about you and me? Then he deliberately provoked me? None of that added up. I’m sure it was a setup. Since then, Logan’s been helping me dig into Golden’s past. My brother found out some things about Michael Golden that wouldn’t go over well in the public eye. Let’s just say there’s a few women from his past who’d also been harassed and abused.”
“Really? I guess that shouldn’t surprise me. Michael is very good at hiding his true colors. And it’s only recently that he’s become a focus of the media. When we were together, he promised to keep Connor and I out of the limelight.”
“Golden is out of your life now. He won’t be causing you any trouble.”
“How do you know?”
“To a man who deals with the public, bad press is worse than a bad economy. It’s the kiss of death. He’s not the only one who can leak a story. His PR people must be going crazy right now, worried their stock will drop if some of those women come forward and Golden Hotels’ squeaky clean name gets tarnished.”
“I guess the moral of the story is, no one should mess with a Slade.”
“Got that right.”
“Me included?”
“You should always mess with this Slade.”
His hand moved through her silky straight hair, cupping her head as he brought her mouth close to his. Her flowery scent tickled his nose. He pressed his lips to hers and touched softness. He poured everything he had into that kiss, his heart, his mind, his soul. He could go on kissing her for hours, but he wasn’t through with all the truths yet. Summoning his willpower, he stepped back, breaking their connection. “Tell me about Lowery’s.”
Her pretty green eyes rounded and her voice turned breathless. “H-how do you know about that?”
“I don’t know much. I’m asking you to tell me.”
Her shoulders fell. “Aunt Mattie must’ve flapped her gums to you yesterday.”
“I wouldn’t blame her if I were you. She was singing your praises to me. Not that I needed to hear any of it. I’m already crazy in love with you. I don’t think I could possibly love you any more than I already do.”
“Justin,” she whispered through pale pink lips. Her head tilted upward and she ran her hand through the strands of her hair again. The gesture didn’t need blond roots to turn him on. “You really love me?”
Unable to resist, he kissed her again. “With all my heart.”
Her eyes softened and her hand came to rest on his cheek. “I love you, too.”
A wide grin spread across his face. He reached for her waist with both hands and in one swift move, lifted her in the air. Her hands came to his chest as he twirled her around and around. Her laughter filled the room and he joined in, bellowing his happiness. When he lowered her down and her feet hit the floor, tears spilled from her eyes.
“Why are you crying, sugar?”
“Because I love you so much, Justin, and I never thought you’d love me back. It means so much to me that you told me before you found out about Lowery’s.”
He took her hands in his. “You’ll never have to doubt my love, but I’m dying to know what’s up with Lowery’s.”
“Wait one more second.” She stepped out of his arms and went to her dresser. Pulling open the top drawer, she lifted out a handful of letters. “I’ve kept this secret for two weeks. Even before Aunt Mattie took ill. Even before I thought there was any hope for us.”
Her gaze fastened on one letter in particular. “You know how hard I’ve worked to make a success of myself. I’ve told you about my designs and my dreams. I’ve been rejected by every major department chain.” She took the envelope out of the drawer. “But one. Lowery’s Department Store offered to buy my line of baby clothes for their stores. It’s a lucrative contract. More money than I’ve earned in over ten years of struggling. More than I ever imagined. I’d be financially independent.”
Walking over to her, he gave her shoulders a squeeze. “That’s your dream, Kat. Congratulations.”
“But it’s not my dream anymore, Justin. That’s just it. I thought I wanted it and sure, I needed some security for Connor’s future, but I couldn’t bring myself to accept the offer.”
“Why?”
“Because it meant leaving Silver Springs. It meant leaving you and Aunt Mattie. I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t bring myself to leave the people I love. I’m happy here, Justin. I’ve finally figured it out. I’d transformed myself on the outside, but inside, I never really changed. All I’ve wanted in life was a shred of happiness, a family to love and a way to earn a living. I have the start of a great online business with Babylicious. I can develop that right here. I thought I needed wealth to make me happy because of the way I grew up. But all I really want is a simple life.”
He peered deeply into her eyes. “I hope that simple life includes me.”
A smile radiated from her face. “Of course it does.”
“Well, then, let me introduce myself properly,” he said. He entwined his fingers with hers. “I’m Justin Slade, filthy rich war hero and a man who loves you beyond reason.” He brought her fingertips to his lips and kissed each one.
“Nice to meet you, Justin,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m Katherine Grady, a scrappy survivor who has finally found her true self.”
The Secret Heir of Sunset Ranch Page 17